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Which team will win the English Premier League 2018/2019?

Which team will win the English Premier League 2018/2019?

  • Tottenham Hotspur

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Chelsea

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Arsenal

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Watford

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Leicester City

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    13

MenInG

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Seems like a few good bets for winners of the EPL but do any others have a realistic chance of catching up with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City?

As of 15th January

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I think there's no point of having so many teams as an option as people are just gonna troll. Really no need to have the likes of West Ham, Watford in the poll when there's no chance in hell they are winning the league. Realistically it's going to be between Liverpool and City, no idea why half the teams in the poll have been included lol.

I would rather Liverpool win than City, but I can't help but feel Liverpool will bottle it, and City are looking amazing again
 
Should've put Huddersfield on the list, can see them making a real fight now their manager has departed
 
Should've put Huddersfield on the list, can see them making a real fight now their manager has departed

Yes.

Burnley have won 4 on the bounce too across all competitions so can't rule them out either! Also Fulham have Claudio Ranieri, we all know what he done with Leicester so I think they have a chance too!
 
Yes.

Burnley have won 4 on the bounce too across all competitions so can't rule them out either! Also Fulham have Claudio Ranieri, we all know what he done with Leicester so I think they have a chance too!

I think Wolves will scrape through. Burnley will give them tough competition though.
 
Yes.

Burnley have won 4 on the bounce too across all competitions so can't rule them out either! Also Fulham have Claudio Ranieri, we all know what he done with Leicester so I think they have a chance too!

Sorry, I meant real run for the PL title*
 
It's Liverpool's to lose. Have a few homes matches next which we should comfortably win. The tougher ones apart from Man Utd are home as well. Elimination from the FA Cup should keep the players fresher for a final assault on the league as the season reaches it's climax. This is the best chance we'll ever have to win it. There can be no excuses if we don't end up as champs.
 
I think Wolves will scrape through. Burnley will give them tough competition though.

Let's not write Crystal Palace off either! They beat the champions at their own stadium so no reason they can't win either. Although they did lose to title rivals Watford over the weekend
 
If only Arsenal could MAGICALLY get their act together.....
 
Arsenal need major investment. At least £200 million plus to be competitive. Rumour has it that Ozil is on bis way out as well.
 
Arsenal need major investment. At least £200 million plus to be competitive. Rumour has it that Ozil is on bis way out as well.

Maybe doesnt fit in?

MUFC look really good suddenly as well.
 
Not a great week for some of the top teams! Liverpool dropped points at home, United dropped points at home, City lost, Chelsea lost.

Good matchday for Arsenal and Spurs fans. Wow. It's going to be a fascinating season, race for the title is on as is race for top 4. Don't write Spurs out of the title yet, highly unlikely but never know.
 
Getting very tense between the 1st 2 teams!

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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says more than two clubs can contest the Premier League title with 13 matches of the season to go.

Guardiola's side are three points behind leaders Liverpool but can go top if they win at Everton on Wednesday.

Tottenham are five points off top spot, with Chelsea 12 off the pace and Manchester United 14 behind in fifth.

"There are 39 points to play and it is not too much if you are nine or 10 behind," said Guardiola.

"I never said Tottenham are not there. United making this run every single week and they will be there.

"Now we see the table and see the first two or three and we don't look further than that. Chelsea can win games in a row and be a contender."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47132885

Surprised he didn't mention Watford, West Ham and Leicester as title contenders too
 
Alan Shearer was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.

It is a little disrespectful that not many people are talking about Tottenham as potential Premier League winners, because they are in the title race - and they have shown they are not going away.

It was typical really that, on a day where Manchester City were sensational and made the headlines with the way they demolished Chelsea to go back above Liverpool at the top of the table, Spurs ground out another unspectacular victory.

Mauricio Pochettino's side have done something similar in each of their past four league games, but it is actually very impressive that they keep getting results when none of those performances have been particularly great.

I thought Leicester were the better team at Wembley on Sunday and the Foxes created chance after chance by getting behind Tottenham's full-backs, Kieran Trippier and Danny Rose, who stayed so high up the pitch.

If that happens again in Wednesday's Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund, Spurs are going to be in trouble because I think they will get punished.

But, on this occasion, they not only survived, they found a way to win.

It was obviously not the same sort of statement of intent that City made a couple of hours later, but to score three goals and take the three points without playing well at all is still a very good sign of the sort of shape that Spurs are in.

'Results more important than tearing teams apart'
Yes, in an ideal world Tottenham would be doing what City did on Sunday, and tearing teams apart, but they are at a stage of their season when their squad is stretched and getting results is the only thing that matters.

We know they can play much better than they have done recently, but the fact they are still winning at all with two of their best players in Harry Kane and Dele Alli injured, shows the character of Pochettino and his team.

City and Liverpool might be playing the better football but Spurs have got a great attitude, which is more evidence of how good their manager is.

Pochettino does not have the same resources or squad depth as his title rivals, and he also has to contend with the debacle over the club's delayed move to their new stadium that has left them playing at a half-empty Wembley every week because of security issues.

That has affected the atmosphere further, when some of their fans are getting fed up with travelling there anyway.

When you put all of that into the mix, then look at how Spurs have kept on picking up points in recent weeks, it underlines what a magnificent job Pochettino is doing.

When Tottenham lost to Wolves at Wembley at the end of December, in what was their fifth league defeat of the season, I saw that as the end of their title hopes.

I thought, you cannot lose that many games and still end up as champions. But their form since then has put them back in the hunt.

Ultimately, I still don't think Spurs will come out on top, but with three months of the season to go, they definitely still have a chance and you cannot discount them.

Who will win it? Well, I picked City at the start of the season, so I am going to stick with them. I am not one to keep on changing my mind like a few people have.

But this is a three-horse race and it is going to be an exciting battle for the neutrals as well as for the fans of each of the teams involved.

City, Liverpool and Spurs all won this weekend, and it won't be the last time that happens this season.

But the last couple of weeks have taught us there are plenty more twists and turns to come. Liverpool and City will not win all of their remaining games and, despite their recent resilience, neither will Spurs.

So it is all to play for all three teams. People are already talking about how Liverpool have been feeling the pressure when they dropped points against Leicester and West Ham, but in my experience you don't feel it now - it is April when it really cranks up.

A slip-up now is not the end of the world, but if anything goes wrong then, it will be.

In the final few weeks of the season, one mistake can cost you everything and the players, managers and fans of the teams involved will all know that.

The next three months are going to be intense every time one of the contenders is in action and I am looking forward to seeing how things unfold.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47193722
 
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Man United is in some red hot form this season. Should be able to lift the cup unless Salah has other ideas.
 
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next set of matches soon so whats the verdict now?
 
Man United is in some red hot form this season. Should be able to lift the cup unless Salah has other ideas.

Utd are 14 pts behind LFC and City.

Utd v LFC is a huge game this weekend. Being bitter rivals Utd will be desperate to beat Liverpool and halt their title challenge but imo Liverpool will be very motivated too. I still feel Utd have issues in defence and we will have many chances to exploit these.

My prediction.

Utd 1 - 3 Liverpool
 
So the top teams continue to fight it out but still too close to call between MCI and LFC!

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Utd are 14 pts behind LFC and City.

Utd v LFC is a huge game this weekend. Being bitter rivals Utd will be desperate to beat Liverpool and halt their title challenge but imo Liverpool will be very motivated too. I still feel Utd have issues in defence and we will have many chances to exploit these.

My prediction.

Utd 1 - 3 Liverpool

Great prediction.

As highlighted by many, Liverpool's thin squad and Klopp's aggressive playing style is coming back to bite them at a very critical point in the season. The first XI seems to be running out of gas. After all the hype and money that Klopp has spent, a trophy-less season this time around would be nothing short of a disaster.

If they don't hold onto their 1 point lead and win the league this time around, they might have to wait for many years before they can mount a serious challenge again. Man City will strengthen their squad again and Man United will probably be much better next season.
 
Great prediction.

As highlighted by many, Liverpool's thin squad and Klopp's aggressive playing style is coming back to bite them at a very critical point in the season. The first XI seems to be running out of gas. After all the hype and money that Klopp has spent, a trophy-less season this time around would be nothing short of a disaster.

If they don't hold onto their 1 point lead and win the league this time around, they might have to wait for many years before they can mount a serious challenge again. Man City will strengthen their squad again and Man United will probably be much better next season.

lol. Another subject you have no clue on. My prediction was off but both teams played too cautiously due to the injuries in the first half. Not sure even if you watch matches but I do , many times live at the ground. Both teams did not want to lose to their rivals.

Liverpool's net spend is one of the lowest in Europe.

Man City is a great team, taking over 100 points to win the league last season and are in top 5 best clubs in the world right now. Beating them isn't easy and for Liverpool to be ahead on points into March, shows what a great season the reds have.
 
lol. Another subject you have no clue on. My prediction was off but both teams played too cautiously due to the injuries in the first half. Not sure even if you watch matches but I do , many times live at the ground. Both teams did not want to lose to their rivals.

Liverpool's net spend is one of the lowest in Europe.

Man City is a great team, taking over 100 points to win the league last season and are in top 5 best clubs in the world right now. Beating them isn't easy and for Liverpool to be ahead on points into March, shows what a great season the reds have.

These are the types of decisive games that title winning teams go onto win. This is not the time for Liverpool to play cautiously and play for draws. Their lead has already been cut down to 1 point, and they have not been losing points because they have been cautious; they have been losing points because their players have been run into the ground which is a problem for Klopp's teams.

There is no doubt that Liverpool are a brilliant team and Klopp is a brilliant coach. However, history only remembers the winners. Many people are apprehensive about Liverpool holding onto their lead because of these concerns.

Also, people do not care about net spending.

When you spend £67 million on a GK (most expensive GK of all time) and £75 million on a CB (most expensive defender of all time) in successive windows, you are expected to win major trophies. If Klopp fails to win the PL or the UCL this season, he is bound to attract a lot of criticism and rightly so.

Klopp has been given plenty of time and he has been allowed to spend plenty of money on his targets. Pushing City to the brink and topping the table for many months is not enough. The time has come for him to bring trophies to the club.
 
These are the types of decisive games that title winning teams go onto win. This is not the time for Liverpool to play cautiously and play for draws. Their lead has already been cut down to 1 point, and they have not been losing points because they have been cautious; they have been losing points because their players have been run into the ground which is a problem for Klopp's teams.

There is no doubt that Liverpool are a brilliant team and Klopp is a brilliant coach. However, history only remembers the winners. Many people are apprehensive about Liverpool holding onto their lead because of these concerns.

Also, people do not care about net spending.

When you spend £67 million on a GK (most expensive GK of all time) and £75 million on a CB (most expensive defender of all time) in successive windows, you are expected to win major trophies. If Klopp fails to win the PL or the UCL this season, he is bound to attract a lot of criticism and rightly so.

Klopp has been given plenty of time and he has been allowed to spend plenty of money on his targets. Pushing City to the brink and topping the table for many months is not enough. The time has come for him to bring trophies to the club.

It's not that simple, a derby game against United can go in any direction. I've been and seen many derbys in the past esp when Utd had a much stronger team but we managed to draw or win. But yes sometimes such matches do make a difference. I remember as a kid watching Liverpool at Anfield go down 3-0 to a strong Utd team but we came back and drew 3-3 with Razor Ruddock scoring a 90th min equalizer. If I can recall that year Utd lost the league title by 1 point to Blackburn. In the current season the back to back draws against Leics and West Ham will be the key moments if we dont win the league.

Net spend is important as Liverpool lost arguably the most gifted no.10 in the PL to Barca. I believe if Coutinho was playing this season we would have won 2-3 matches which we drew and therefore be in a very strong position. What is worse is Utd are now trying to sign him! For the club the size of the Liverpool, one of the biggest in the world, we should have been able to keep him and still sign players but the Yanks who own the club dont care about titles but only to be in the top 4 so the profit keeps rolling in.

Btw Chelsea have the most expensive keeper in the world and £75M for VVD was a bargain, he is the best defender in the world imo.
 
It's not that simple, a derby game against United can go in any direction. I've been and seen many derbys in the past esp when Utd had a much stronger team but we managed to draw or win. But yes sometimes such matches do make a difference. I remember as a kid watching Liverpool at Anfield go down 3-0 to a strong Utd team but we came back and drew 3-3 with Razor Ruddock scoring a 90th min equalizer. If I can recall that year Utd lost the league title by 1 point to Blackburn. In the current season the back to back draws against Leics and West Ham will be the key moments if we dont win the league.

Net spend is important as Liverpool lost arguably the most gifted no.10 in the PL to Barca. I believe if Coutinho was playing this season we would have won 2-3 matches which we drew and therefore be in a very strong position. What is worse is Utd are now trying to sign him! For the club the size of the Liverpool, one of the biggest in the world, we should have been able to keep him and still sign players but the Yanks who own the club dont care about titles but only to be in the top 4 so the profit keeps rolling in.

Btw Chelsea have the most expensive keeper in the world and £75M for VVD was a bargain, he is the best defender in the world imo.

South American players rarely resist interest from Barcelona/Madrid. I don't think Liverpool could have done much to keep Coutinho at the club. Not many players in his stead would have opted to stay. The only option was to break the wage structure and keep him at the club at all costs, which is never advisable and always has repercussions.

Even when Liverpool were blowing away teams earlier this season and had a healthy lead, a lot of Liverpool fans were apprehensive about their title winning credentials. It is now easy to see why they were skeptical. Nevertheless, it will be great for English football if they can hold on to their 1 point lead.
 
Very tight now- just one point between City and Liverpool. City have the depth.
 
Please someone defeat or at least hold City. I am waiting....
 
Please someone defeat or at least hold City. I am waiting....

They have to play both Spurs and United so could drop points there. I will be at Old Trafford for the Manchester Derby on 24th April and I can't wait :)
 
They have to play both Spurs and United so could drop points there. I will be at Old Trafford for the Manchester Derby on 24th April and I can't wait :)

If you are a United fan I will buy you a kebab if you defeat or even hold City!:uakmal
 
They have to play both Spurs and United so could drop points there. I will be at Old Trafford for the Manchester Derby on 24th April and I can't wait :)

We have a game against Chelsea at home, so that probably normalizes the Spurs game. MCity has 8+ GD, so a draw at MU won't be sufficient (provided that both teams earn equal points from other remaining games) - MU has to win it.

I think, MU will beat MCity - head 2 heads are tactical battles for respective Coaches and Pep isn't that genius in that scale to be honest. But, I am sure with a potential CL SF coming & International fixtures hitting thick & fast, our bikini thin squad won't last that long to win rest 5 EPL games, but Pep's squad will definitely win those games - he is a genius to keep a full squad on bench, good enough to qualify for CL from EPL.

Fresh legs are key here - I was damn sure that January will cost us (which did help us blowing 8 points lead) and no reason to believe why May won't either.
 
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Guardiola: Both Man City and Liverpool deserve title

Manchester - Pep Guardiola said both Manchester City and Liverpool deserve to win the Premier League title after his side brushed aside Manchester United 2-0 on Wednesday to top the table again.

Bernardo Silva and Leroy Sane struck for the visitors in 12 second-half minutes at Old Trafford to inflict a seventh defeat in nine games on United, who remain three points adrift of the top four.

Guardiola's City have 89 points after 35 games, with Liverpool a point behind. Both sides have just three games remaining.

"I understand the pressure we have and obviously here at Old Trafford with Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard running behind," the City boss told Sky Sports. "I told them we needed to play to win, it doesn't matter if we concede.

"Now we go to Burnley and we know how tough it will be. It's important to be calm. We are still not champions with three games left - it's incredible with the points we have and Liverpool have.

"I told the players don't read tomorrow, don't watch the television, just rest and sleep a lot and go in there against Burnley."

"Both teams deserve the title," he added. "But it can be just one. The team that is going to lose can't have regrets because they have given everything. Normally with this kind of victory you can it enjoy it the most but we have to be calm."

https://m.sport24.co.za/Soccer/Engl...man-city-and-liverpool-deserve-title-20190425
 
Manchester City looking the more like to win....
 
What a great game of football! Not easy to watch as a Liverpool fan esp Salah suffering on the ground and us still drawing with a few mins to go. But as expected LFC will fight hard until the final wistle.

We need Leicster to pull off a draw at least on Monday, there is a chance with them playing so well recently but Man City are still clear favourites to take the title.
 
City are just very professional and have an elite mentality at the moment. When it was 0-0 a worryingly period (for some) vs Burnley, United and Leicester people questioned them, but I had no doubt in my mind they'd pull something out of nowhere.
 
Man City have shown tremendous resilience. They fought back from a 7 point deficit, beat Liverpool in a must win game in January and are now grinding results without panicking.

This is the difference between a manager with a winning mentality and Klopp.
 
Yet another vital goal by Kompany to propel Man City to a Premier League title.

Man United 2012 and now Leicester 2019. What a leader.
 
Loserfool embarassed again. Klopp wouldnt have lasted this much time anywhere else. What a joke of a club. Maybe spend another 100 million on a CB.
 
Man City have shown tremendous resilience. They fought back from a 7 point deficit, beat Liverpool in a must win game in January and are now grinding results without panicking.

This is the difference between a manager with a winning mentality and Klopp.

Klopp won two Bundes Liga with BVB Dortmund over a Bayern side that had won 12 leagues either side of those 2 years & couple of CL as well - for some thing to match, Pep will need the pockets of both Sheikh Mansoor & Roman Abrahamovic together. That's the biggest difference with a soccer Manager & a check book manager.

Klopp has taken BVB & Liverpool to two CL Finals, which is apparently a failure - reality is he punched well above the weight to carry his teams to finals against odds, but couldn't keep steam till late May without sugar dads pumping fuel to his squads in January.

I wrote in 8 months back that MCity will win the title because of Liverpool's slump in January - only in UK they play in that treacherous 4 weeks and they actually schedule 3 tournaments in that period, 12 games in 35 days, for that you need Sheikh Mansoor more than Manager.

Anyway, Pep will definitely show his winning mentality next year in CL with another half a billion from Mansoor.
 
Klopp won two Bundes Liga with BVB Dortmund over a Bayern side that had won 12 leagues either side of those 2 years & couple of CL as well - for some thing to match, Pep will need the pockets of both Sheikh Mansoor & Roman Abrahamovic together. That's the biggest difference with a soccer Manager & a check book manager.

Klopp has taken BVB & Liverpool to two CL Finals, which is apparently a failure - reality is he punched well above the weight to carry his teams to finals against odds, but couldn't keep steam till late May without sugar dads pumping fuel to his squads in January.

I wrote in 8 months back that MCity will win the title because of Liverpool's slump in January - only in UK they play in that treacherous 4 weeks and they actually schedule 3 tournaments in that period, 12 games in 35 days, for that you need Sheikh Mansoor more than Manager.

Anyway, Pep will definitely show his winning mentality next year in CL with another half a billion from Mansoor.

Actually, that is not true as I explained to another poster in another thread few days back. I will copy paste the relevant portion of my post here.

Klopp dominated Bundesliga with Dortmund from 2010 to 2012, but Bayern at that time were not the dominant force they later on became under Heynckes and Guardiola. This is reflected in the results from 2006 onwards.

Bundesliga champions by year:

2007 - Stuttgart
2008 - Bayern
2009 - Wolfsburg
2010 - Bayern
2011 - Dortmund
2012 - Dortmund

As you can see, four different teams won the Bundesliga from 2007 to 2012, and Bayern were unable to defend the title. They started dominating German football again only from 2012 onwards when they started to exercise their financial power and started buying Dortmund's best players like Lewandowski, Gotze and later Hummels etc.

We have had lengthy discussions on Pep and the myth that he is just a check book manager, and I know that you will not change your opinion, but I will still do my part.

In 2007-2008, Barcelona ended with zero trophies and finished 21 points behind Madrid in La Liga. When Guardiola took over in summer of 2008, he took that team that to a treble in 12 months.

He got rid of figures like Ronaldinho, Deco, Thuram and Zambrotta, and brought in Alves, Pique and promoted Busquets and Pedro from Barca B which he coached previously. He also helped Messi evolve into a monstrous goal-scorer by playing him as a false 9 instead of a winger.

He achieved all of that without Sheikh Mansour and with a net spend of around €35m, which was not much even in 2008.

Name one check-book manager, who with a net spend of €35m, can take a team to a treble after they had finished trophyless in the previous season and 21 points behind the league winners?

For the sake of comparison, Madrid with a net spend of almost €200 in the following summer failed to win a single trophy.

Yes he should have won the Champions League with Bayern and he should deliver one for Man City as well at some point which I think he will, but one can find holes in every managerial career - even in SAF's.

Klopp is a tremendous manager, but he is more similar to the likes of Pochettino and Simeone etc. than the likes of Guardiola and Mourinho. he is a brilliant tactician, improves every team and almost every player, but he doesn't have the winning mentality to win a lot of silverware.

He has not even won a cup of tea at Liverpool so far, and has even failed to win the FA Cup or the League Cup in spite of possessing the second most expensive GK of all time (most expensive before Chelsea bought Kepa) and the most expensive defender of all time in addition to Salah and Mane.

It is understandable that he didn't aim for the smaller cups because he was prioritising the Premier League and Champions League, but surrendering a 7 point lead in the league doesn't justify that.

In a few months time, Klopp will be at Liverpool for 4 years and his trophy cabinet is still empty. He has nothing to show for the improvement that he has brought to the club. Surely, the excuses will run out if it stretches to 5 or 6 years.

It goes without saying that he must deliver something next year or Liverpool will risk losing the likes of Salah, Van Dijk, Allison etc. and going back to square one.
 
Crazy that Liverpool can get 97 points and still finish second. City find a way to get results even when they are not playing the best.
 
Actually, that is not true as I explained to another poster in another thread few days back. I will copy paste the relevant portion of my post here.

Klopp dominated Bundesliga with Dortmund from 2010 to 2012, but Bayern at that time were not the dominant force they later on became under Heynckes and Guardiola. This is reflected in the results from 2006 onwards.

Bundesliga champions by year:

2007 - Stuttgart
2008 - Bayern
2009 - Wolfsburg
2010 - Bayern
2011 - Dortmund
2012 - Dortmund

As you can see, four different teams won the Bundesliga from 2007 to 2012, and Bayern were unable to defend the title. They started dominating German football again only from 2012 onwards when they started to exercise their financial power and started buying Dortmund's best players like Lewandowski, Gotze and later Hummels etc.

We have had lengthy discussions on Pep and the myth that he is just a check book manager, and I know that you will not change your opinion, but I will still do my part.

In 2007-2008, Barcelona ended with zero trophies and finished 21 points behind Madrid in La Liga. When Guardiola took over in summer of 2008, he took that team that to a treble in 12 months.

He got rid of figures like Ronaldinho, Deco, Thuram and Zambrotta, and brought in Alves, Pique and promoted Busquets and Pedro from Barca B which he coached previously. He also helped Messi evolve into a monstrous goal-scorer by playing him as a false 9 instead of a winger.

He achieved all of that without Sheikh Mansour and with a net spend of around €35m, which was not much even in 2008.

Name one check-book manager, who with a net spend of €35m, can take a team to a treble after they had finished trophyless in the previous season and 21 points behind the league winners?

For the sake of comparison, Madrid with a net spend of almost €200 in the following summer failed to win a single trophy.

Yes he should have won the Champions League with Bayern and he should deliver one for Man City as well at some point which I think he will, but one can find holes in every managerial career - even in SAF's.

Klopp is a tremendous manager, but he is more similar to the likes of Pochettino and Simeone etc. than the likes of Guardiola and Mourinho. he is a brilliant tactician, improves every team and almost every player, but he doesn't have the winning mentality to win a lot of silverware.

He has not even won a cup of tea at Liverpool so far, and has even failed to win the FA Cup or the League Cup in spite of possessing the second most expensive GK of all time (most expensive before Chelsea bought Kepa) and the most expensive defender of all time in addition to Salah and Mane.

It is understandable that he didn't aim for the smaller cups because he was prioritising the Premier League and Champions League, but surrendering a 7 point lead in the league doesn't justify that.

In a few months time, Klopp will be at Liverpool for 4 years and his trophy cabinet is still empty. He has nothing to show for the improvement that he has brought to the club. Surely, the excuses will run out if it stretches to 5 or 6 years.

It goes without saying that he must deliver something next year or Liverpool will risk losing the likes of Salah, Van Dijk, Allison etc. and going back to square one.


As if Koop would be in the tittle picture if he didn’t get the chequebook. MMHS always complaining about Pep signing players but he never talks about how he has improved Sterling, Sane,Bernardo Silva, etc. Manchester City overpay for players who fit their system.
 
Actually, that is not true as I explained to another poster in another thread few days back. I will copy paste the relevant portion of my post here.

Klopp dominated Bundesliga with Dortmund from 2010 to 2012, but Bayern at that time were not the dominant force they later on became under Heynckes and Guardiola. This is reflected in the results from 2006 onwards.

Bundesliga champions by year:

2007 - Stuttgart
2008 - Bayern
2009 - Wolfsburg
2010 - Bayern
2011 - Dortmund
2012 - Dortmund

As you can see, four different teams won the Bundesliga from 2007 to 2012, and Bayern were unable to defend the title. They started dominating German football again only from 2012 onwards when they started to exercise their financial power and started buying Dortmund's best players like Lewandowski, Gotze and later Hummels etc.

We have had lengthy discussions on Pep and the myth that he is just a check book manager, and I know that you will not change your opinion, but I will still do my part.

In 2007-2008, Barcelona ended with zero trophies and finished 21 points behind Madrid in La Liga. When Guardiola took over in summer of 2008, he took that team that to a treble in 12 months.

He got rid of figures like Ronaldinho, Deco, Thuram and Zambrotta, and brought in Alves, Pique and promoted Busquets and Pedro from Barca B which he coached previously. He also helped Messi evolve into a monstrous goal-scorer by playing him as a false 9 instead of a winger.

He achieved all of that without Sheikh Mansour and with a net spend of around €35m, which was not much even in 2008.

Name one check-book manager, who with a net spend of €35m, can take a team to a treble after they had finished trophyless in the previous season and 21 points behind the league winners?

For the sake of comparison, Madrid with a net spend of almost €200 in the following summer failed to win a single trophy.

Yes he should have won the Champions League with Bayern and he should deliver one for Man City as well at some point which I think he will, but one can find holes in every managerial career - even in SAF's.

Klopp is a tremendous manager, but he is more similar to the likes of Pochettino and Simeone etc. than the likes of Guardiola and Mourinho. he is a brilliant tactician, improves every team and almost every player, but he doesn't have the winning mentality to win a lot of silverware.

He has not even won a cup of tea at Liverpool so far, and has even failed to win the FA Cup or the League Cup in spite of possessing the second most expensive GK of all time (most expensive before Chelsea bought Kepa) and the most expensive defender of all time in addition to Salah and Mane.

It is understandable that he didn't aim for the smaller cups because he was prioritising the Premier League and Champions League, but surrendering a 7 point lead in the league doesn't justify that.

In a few months time, Klopp will be at Liverpool for 4 years and his trophy cabinet is still empty. He has nothing to show for the improvement that he has brought to the club. Surely, the excuses will run out if it stretches to 5 or 6 years.

It goes without saying that he must deliver something next year or Liverpool will risk losing the likes of Salah, Van Dijk, Allison etc. and going back to square one.

Probably you have got your answer by now with a bit bitter taste .... and remember, this is without his No. 9 & No. 11 .... namely Roberto Firmino & Mo Salah. Your Cheque Book Manager would have run to Mansoor ..... he is a brilliant cook, you buy him ingredients, his food will be delicious, but Managing soccer teams without Sugar dad is a different menu and EPL is a different kitchen.


[MENTION=141114]Hasan123[/MENTION] - Klopp is brilliant, not because he is Liverpool Manager and I am a Liverpool fan or he is managing with little budget .... but because he got 4 goals against Barca from his 2 bench players, and 3 of those in 2nd half after changing formation. Mansoor's foreman conceded 3 times at home to Pochetino's depleted side .......
 
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As if Koop would be in the tittle picture if he didn’t get the chequebook. MMHS always complaining about Pep signing players but he never talks about how he has improved Sterling, Sane,Bernardo Silva, etc. Manchester City overpay for players who fit their system.

Nothing wrong with that - Klopp over paid for VVD & Alisson. But, as I wrote many times - EPL is a 38 games marathon, you need fuel for that; Mansoor has bought Pep a 2nd squad for bench who are good enough to make top 4 finish in EPL (under a proper manager). This ManCity squad has put 300mn+ into a squad that won EPL 2 years back ..... somewhere it'll count. And, today Klopp played a wide player Origi at No. 9, left footed Shakiri at right wing and changed formation at half time to drop EPLs best left back to bring Wijnaldum at sort of false 9... and recovered a 0-3 against Spanish Champions, who won league 2 weeks back!!!!!!
 
Probably you have got your answer by now with a bit bitter taste .... and remember, this is without his No. 9 & No. 11 .... namely Roberto Firmino & Mo Salah. Your Cheque Book Manager would have run to Mansoor ..... he is a brilliant cook, you buy him ingredients, his food will be delicious, but Managing soccer teams without Sugar dad is a different menu and EPL is a different kitchen.


[MENTION=141114]Hasan123[/MENTION] - Klopp is brilliant, not because he is Liverpool Manager and I am a Liverpool fan or he is managing with little budget .... but because he got 4 goals against Barca from his 2 bench players, and 3 of those in 2nd half after changing formation. Mansoor's foreman conceded 3 times at home to Pochetino's depleted side .......

Klopp deserves nothing but praise for what he did last night. It was not about tactics but about heart. Motivating a team to do what Liverpool did when you are 3-0 down, that too against Barcelona is not easy.

But you again didn’t answer my question. How can a check-book manager take a team with a 21 point deficit and no trophies to a treble in 12 months with a net spend of 35m?

I have no issues with you rating Klopp higher, but you are doing Guardiola huge disservice by labeling him just a check-book manager after what he has done for the game.
 
Man City have shown tremendous resilience. They fought back from a 7 point deficit, beat Liverpool in a must win game in January and are now grinding results without panicking.

This is the difference between a manager with a winning mentality and Klopp.

Guardiola has more squad depth. He could field 2 x teams and still get into the UCL with either XI.
 
If City do win it, Liverpool will really look back at that period in January-February where they let things slip, by drawing against teams like West Ham and Leicester.
 
Probably you have got your answer by now with a bit bitter taste .... and remember, this is without his No. 9 & No. 11 .... namely Roberto Firmino & Mo Salah. Your Cheque Book Manager would have run to Mansoor ..... he is a brilliant cook, you buy him ingredients, his food will be delicious, but Managing soccer teams without Sugar dad is a different menu and EPL is a different kitchen.


[MENTION=141114]Hasan123[/MENTION] - Klopp is brilliant, not because he is Liverpool Manager and I am a Liverpool fan or he is managing with little budget .... but because he got 4 goals against Barca from his 2 bench players, and 3 of those in 2nd half after changing formation. Mansoor's foreman conceded 3 times at home to Pochetino's depleted side .......

When Klopp wins it's brilliant tactics but when Pep win it isn't brilliant tactics . It's because of the players. I don't think your assessment is fair.
 
Nothing wrong with that - Klopp over paid for VVD & Alisson. But, as I wrote many times - EPL is a 38 games marathon, you need fuel for that; Mansoor has bought Pep a 2nd squad for bench who are good enough to make top 4 finish in EPL (under a proper manager). This ManCity squad has put 300mn+ into a squad that won EPL 2 years back ..... somewhere it'll count. And, today Klopp played a wide player Origi at No. 9, left footed Shakiri at right wing and changed formation at half time to drop EPLs best left back to bring Wijnaldum at sort of false 9... and recovered a 0-3 against Spanish Champions, who won league 2 weeks back!!!!!!

The win wasn't about tactics imo. It was about passion and never giving up.
 
When Klopp wins it's brilliant tactics but when Pep win it isn't brilliant tactics . It's because of the players. I don't think your assessment is fair.

Indeed he is a brilliant tactician and one of the best managers in world. And, I was a big fan of Pep for his fluid style of soccer - but when people starts to blow his trumpet out of proportion, someone has to balance that out. Here in PP I found that hardly anyone even consider Rafa (another LFC Manager, but I am not writing for that) as a great manager. And, the amount of Jo Mou gets at PP is laughable - he won 2 CLs with Porto & Inter ......

Coming to Klopp, indeed it's also for his players - he didn't play for them last night. Did you hear his press conference before a game against FC Barcelona, with 0-3 down - ".... Salaha & Firmino are top class strikers, two of the best in world and we'll definitely miss them. Still we'll have to score, we'll have to score at least 3 times and we must not concede against Messi ......... sounds difficult, but we'll have to find a way to do that...."

Have you noticed what he has done to almost unknown or less known players? Robertson, Trent, Mane, Firmino, Shakiri, even Mo was an EPL flop .... people talk about VVD's price, but last night Messi was marked not by VVD, rather a guy bought for free - Joel Matip. And, few months back you tagged me for couple of players - one named Toriera, and other one Fabinho .....:) Did you watch him last night against Barca's midfield - for a note, that guy was playing mostly as right back at Monaco and Klopp bought him as DM-CM. He bought 10-12 players between 19-23 in between 2007-2010 at Dortmund, highest priced was probably Lewandwiski or Reus, 4.5mn EURO - those 10-12 players at their peak could have drawn 100mn+

Klopp is a different manager - he'll be a super flop in a club like MCity, Real, Chelsea or PSG, because guy has own style and philosophy and he knows what he is doing.
 
Indeed he is a brilliant tactician and one of the best managers in world. And, I was a big fan of Pep for his fluid style of soccer - but when people starts to blow his trumpet out of proportion, someone has to balance that out. Here in PP I found that hardly anyone even consider Rafa (another LFC Manager, but I am not writing for that) as a great manager. And, the amount of Jo Mou gets at PP is laughable - he won 2 CLs with Porto & Inter ......

Coming to Klopp, indeed it's also for his players - he didn't play for them last night. Did you hear his press conference before a game against FC Barcelona, with 0-3 down - ".... Salaha & Firmino are top class strikers, two of the best in world and we'll definitely miss them. Still we'll have to score, we'll have to score at least 3 times and we must not concede against Messi ......... sounds difficult, but we'll have to find a way to do that...."

Have you noticed what he has done to almost unknown or less known players? Robertson, Trent, Mane, Firmino, Shakiri, even Mo was an EPL flop .... people talk about VVD's price, but last night Messi was marked not by VVD, rather a guy bought for free - Joel Matip. And, few months back you tagged me for couple of players - one named Toriera, and other one Fabinho .....:) Did you watch him last night against Barca's midfield - for a note, that guy was playing mostly as right back at Monaco and Klopp bought him as DM-CM. He bought 10-12 players between 19-23 in between 2007-2010 at Dortmund, highest priced was probably Lewandwiski or Reus, 4.5mn EURO - those 10-12 players at their peak could have drawn 100mn+

Klopp is a different manager - he'll be a super flop in a club like MCity, Real, Chelsea or PSG, because guy has own style and philosophy and he knows what he is doing.



After all that you still never answered my point. With you, when Klopp does anything it’s all due to tactics but with Pep it’s all the players lol.

I have always rated Robertson, you just didn’t rate Robertson due to his nationality. It was clear he was talented. Also Arnold is a highly talented player. Mane has improved with coaching.

I have always liked Fabiano, I just thought at the time Torriera was better. Still could be better. Also Fabiano was playing as a cm at Monaco. Don’t make out as though that was Klopps invention. Sidebe plays at RB for Monaco.


No doubt he is a great manager, who can motivate and improve players. But you praise Klopp for winning games with tactics but Pep has won games due to tactics but you made a claim on PP before that Pep has never won a game due to tactics.
 
After all that you still never answered my point. With you, when Klopp does anything it’s all due to tactics but with Pep it’s all the players lol.

I have always rated Robertson, you just didn’t rate Robertson due to his nationality. It was clear he was talented. Also Arnold is a highly talented player. Mane has improved with coaching.

I have always liked Fabiano, I just thought at the time Torriera was better. Still could be better. Also Fabiano was playing as a cm at Monaco. Don’t make out as though that was Klopps invention. Sidebe plays at RB for Monaco.


No doubt he is a great manager, who can motivate and improve players. But you praise Klopp for winning games with tactics but Pep has won games due to tactics but you made a claim on PP before that Pep has never won a game due to tactics.

Actually, I have answered your point - a soccer manager finds his way by raising players; a cheque book manager buys out of trouble. Pep had a problem with his defence - his way out was blowing 250mn for defenders, half of whom he doesn’t use. Tactics is definitely there - it’ll be foolish to say that a manager with such resume doesn’t have tactics; but he has lost too many vital games for tactical blunders for a manager of such pedigree.

No, Fabinho is predominantly a Right Back, for Brazil & for Monaco. Jadim had two RBs in his squad - often played Sidebe as wide right mid fielder and Fabinho as RB, and switched positions. Robertson was good, otherwise a Scottish reserve doesn’t start in EPL at 20 .... Klopp has made him probably the best LB in EPL and among top 3-4 in world.

I have NEVER claimed that Pep or any manager had never won a game for tactics - that little gyan I do possess. What you are mixing is that, his head to head record is poor against top managers, compared to respective squads and I have seen his team losing grounds too many times in 2nd half, for a top manager with such squads.

Next 2 Barca managers had out done Pep, so did Hyenkes at Bayern & now Kovac is winning it from behind. After 3 years in MCity riches, he hasn’t achieved more than Pelegrini or Moyes (at MU) in CL. People gives a damn about MCity - the love affair with Pep is for Barca link - at one point, he’ll be questioned as well. And, if UEFA imposes ban/restrictions on MCity’s transfer activities - Pep’ll leave Ittehad - his biggest asset is his squad depth, without that, he’ll get exposed like CL as well - you may not agree with that.
 
Actually, I have answered your point - a soccer manager finds his way by raising players; a cheque book manager buys out of trouble. Pep had a problem with his defence - his way out was blowing 250mn for defenders, half of whom he doesnÂ’t use. Tactics is definitely there - itÂ’ll be foolish to say that a manager with such resume doesnÂ’t have tactics; but he has lost too many vital games for tactical blunders for a manager of such pedigree.

No, Fabinho is predominantly a Right Back, for Brazil & for Monaco. Jadim had two RBs in his squad - often played Sidebe as wide right mid fielder and Fabinho as RB, and switched positions. Robertson was good, otherwise a Scottish reserve doesnÂ’t start in EPL at 20 .... Klopp has made him probably the best LB in EPL and among top 3-4 in world.

I have NEVER claimed that Pep or any manager had never won a game for tactics - that little gyan I do possess. What you are mixing is that, his head to head record is poor against top managers, compared to respective squads and I have seen his team losing grounds too many times in 2nd half, for a top manager with such squads.

Next 2 Barca managers had out done Pep, so did Hyenkes at Bayern & now Kovac is winning it from behind. After 3 years in MCity riches, he hasnÂ’t achieved more than Pelegrini or Moyes (at MU) in CL. People gives a damn about MCity - the love affair with Pep is for Barca link - at one point, heÂ’ll be questioned as well. And, if UEFA imposes ban/restrictions on MCityÂ’s transfer activities - PepÂ’ll leave Ittehad - his biggest asset is his squad depth, without that, heÂ’ll get exposed like CL as well - you may not agree with that.



What was Klopps way out of solving his defence? Signing VVD. Don't talk about losing vital games. Klopp has lost every final since 2012. Can't get more vital than finals. :)))

No he played in CM a lot as well. When I watched him at Monaco, he played in CM. It wasnt a Klopp invention.

He always beats Klopp when it matters other than UCL QF last year. He has beaten Mourinho plenty of times as well. Beaten Wenger black and blue. Knocked Allegri out of CL. These aren't top managers ?

Don't see how getting knocked out how Barca have is out doing Pep. Current Dortmund manager is out doing Klopp by taking Bayern this far. Klopp never took the great Bayern team from 2013 even this close. :))) .

He doesn't have a affinity with Manchester City so I don't see him there much longer but you call the PL the best league in the world but won't give credit to someone for winning it 2 years in a row. You would still rather talk about a manager who can't win this league despite have genius tactics.
 
What was Klopps way out of solving his defence? Signing VVD. Don't talk about losing vital games. Klopp has lost every final since 2012. Can't get more vital than finals. :)))

No he played in CM a lot as well. When I watched him at Monaco, he played in CM. It wasnt a Klopp invention.

He always beats Klopp when it matters other than UCL QF last year. He has beaten Mourinho plenty of times as well. Beaten Wenger black and blue. Knocked Allegri out of CL. These aren't top managers ?

Don't see how getting knocked out how Barca have is out doing Pep. Current Dortmund manager is out doing Klopp by taking Bayern this far. Klopp never took the great Bayern team from 2013 even this close. :))) .

He doesn't have a affinity with Manchester City so I don't see him there much longer but you call the PL the best league in the world but won't give credit to someone for winning it 2 years in a row. You would still rather talk about a manager who can't win this league despite have genius tactics.

EPL is by far the toughest league to win - before Pep, Pelegrini did that for City ... I do give credit for that, but Sheikh Mansoor deserves equal credit as well.

No, Pep doesn’t always beat Klopp. Excluding his record for that Barca team, it’s nothing spectacular- that Barca generation was built by Rijkaard, Pep was there at the right time. Check the record for next 2 Barca managers (Tito & Enrique) when Messi & co were in their 20s, you can realise that. This Bayern team and the Bayern 5 years back is totally different- their entire squad has aged into 30s now .... and still they are leading by 4 points with 2 games to go, from as far as 10 point deficit, therefore not sure how current manager is out doing Klopp.
 
EPL is by far the toughest league to win - before Pep, Pelegrini did that for City ... I do give credit for that, but Sheikh Mansoor deserves equal credit as well.

No, Pep doesn’t always beat Klopp. Excluding his record for that Barca team, it’s nothing spectacular- that Barca generation was built by Rijkaard, Pep was there at the right time. Check the record for next 2 Barca managers (Tito & Enrique) when Messi & co were in their 20s, you can realise that. This Bayern team and the Bayern 5 years back is totally different- their entire squad has aged into 30s now .... and still they are leading by 4 points with 2 games to go, from as far as 10 point deficit, therefore not sure how current manager is out doing Klopp.


EPL isn't easy to win. But you really need to calm down with overeating it. PSG don't even have 90 points in a farmer's league yet 2 teams in England have 90 points. There are plenty of average teams in the premier league and not every team plays the physical style you always go on about. Most teams are trying to play the ball on the ground and use running power rather than a physical style.

Well at Dortmund, Sven Mislintat signed a lot of Dortmunds core yet you give all the credit to Klopp.

He is doing a very good job. Klopp hardly challenged the great Bayern team from 2012. Yet Farve in his 1st season has taken them all the way. Not interested in how old they are. They are by far the best team in Germany. Always talking about low budget , Dortmund hardly spend big money and they are still challenging Bayern. He is doing a very good job.

Bayern were not as good when Klopp won his 2 titles although it was still a great achievement.

Your problem is you ovverate everything Klopp has done
Can find an excuse for all his failures but with Pep its always about players and money.
 
EPL isn't easy to win. But you really need to calm down with overeating it. PSG don't even have 90 points in a farmer's league yet 2 teams in England have 90 points. There are plenty of average teams in the premier league and not every team plays the physical style you always go on about. Most teams are trying to play the ball on the ground and use running power rather than a physical style.

Well at Dortmund, Sven Mislintat signed a lot of Dortmunds core yet you give all the credit to Klopp.

He is doing a very good job. Klopp hardly challenged the great Bayern team from 2012. Yet Farve in his 1st season has taken them all the way. Not interested in how old they are. They are by far the best team in Germany. Always talking about low budget , Dortmund hardly spend big money and they are still challenging Bayern. He is doing a very good job.

Bayern were not as good when Klopp won his 2 titles although it was still a great achievement.

Your problem is you ovverate everything Klopp has done
Can find an excuse for all his failures but with Pep its always about players and money.

PSG won the league by 30th game, then lost 4-5 in a row, otherwise they would have cracked 100+ easily.

For the Klopp part, I should have tagged you here

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...UEFA-Champions-League&p=10239837#post10239837
 
Klopp is a serial bottler and a failure. Fact that Liverpool are even close to City in the title race is because of dodgy referring and offside goals.
 
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